


War for the Isles

by Blimbgis_the_Turgled



Series: The Cursed Witch AU [2]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Adding more characters as i write this, Background Camileda, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fuck the blight parents, Lumity, Mind Control, Proto-Amity, The Owl Girl Au, Vampirism, lycanthropy, me and my homies all hate the blight parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:14:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26493211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blimbgis_the_Turgled/pseuds/Blimbgis_the_Turgled
Summary: After graduation, Luz and Amity prepare for their new lives as official witches, but Belos's plans may interfere
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Camilia Noceda
Series: The Cursed Witch AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919893
Comments: 34
Kudos: 186





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I still have more I can squeeze out of this AU idea

Luz scratched Snowy under the chin and he warbled happily. They were back at the Owl House throwing a graduation party, and the whole gang was present, including Edric, Emira, and Camila.

They played games, had a barbecue in the backyard, ate cake, laughed together, Emira had slammed her older brother's face into a pie while Eda made her iconic snorting laugh. Gus and Willow were chanting "chug" while the house demon was chugging some beverage in an unlabled container that was presumably alcohol from Eda's stores. Luz looked into her glass of apple blood and smiled, even after three years on the Isles, she never felt more at home then now, having dumb fun with people she considered her family. 

Amity's fingers found the spaces between Luz's and weaved into them, those beautiful golden eyes locked with Luz's hazel orbs and she saw the starlight in them as vividly as the night they shared their first kiss. Their foreheads touched and they closed their eyes, taking in the moment while Hooty flopped around like a wet worm, intoxicated and red in the face.

* * *

  
  


Belos descended the stairs in his palace until he reached the lowest basement level, steam pumped through pipes on either side of the sstaircase. The stairs ended at the entry to a cavernous room where a four meter high ring shaped structure was being built. Like much of the more important mechanical builds, it was a crisp white in color, two presumably decorative wings with golden "feathers" were built onto either side of the frame.

Belos moved closer, ascending the stairs to meet it, and ran a gloved hand over the hard steel surface. The Day of Unity had been delayed, but Belos was a patient ruler, he needed one final piece to complete this device, and it would be only a matter of time until he possessed it.

The portal to the human realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added the canon names of Amity's parents after Dana's stream


	2. Trip to the Human Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and Amity go to spend some time in the human realm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Proto-Amity" (the cheerleader in episode 1 with Amity's hairstyle) was named "Sasha" by bigkyle990 on tumblr

Luz was flying through the clouds on her wings laughing and looping around doing aerial tricks.

Then she heard a voice...a deep, primordial voice that echoed and rumbled and commanded great ancient power

" **_Luz Noceda..._ **" it spoke her name

It was both unfamiliar, yet at the same time evoked a strong familiarity within the girl, but she could not figure out why.

" **_A great challenge will meet you in these coming days...it will jostle the fabric of this world, and others...when this day arrives, you shall be tested...the Great Deciever shall try and bend you to his will...but I have faith in your resolve, Luz Noceda…I trust you will rise and face your destiny..._ **" the voice faded away 

Luz opened her eyes, she was still in the Owl House, sleeping in her nest. It was just a dream. Soft breaths came from her right, and she saw Amity.

The girl's long hair was sprawled about the nest. Luz stroked her girlfriend on the cheek and a happy hum left the Witch's lips. Luz smiled and closed her eyes and let sleep return to her.

* * *

  
  


Belos gave a declaration to the peoples of the Boiling Isles the next morning, via their crystal balls. 

"Children of the Isles, I was graced in the night with a prophetic vision from the Titan. The Day of Unity is to happen fourteen days from today, and in that time, the Titan will present a Chosen One to bring about this momentous occasion!

When the Day of Unity passes, the Chosen One will rule at my side, they will become a guiding light and uphold the teachings I have graced upon you all". 

Reaction to this was mixed, many proclaimed the glory of the emperor and patiently awaited the arrival of this "chosen one" Belos rather vaguely spoke of. Some were confused by his wording, they had assumed that their emperor would solely hold his position for life. The rest were worried and concerned, especially the Owl House gang, having firsthand knowledge of Belos's cruel nature.

Eda and the others, even Hooty, were not aware of the cloaked figure watching the house, wearing a golden owl mask. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Luz stood in front of the portal door looking more nervous than she had been in a long time. Amity touched her hand and got her attention. "A-are you ready?" Luz asked, nervously 

"Are _you_ ready?" Amity asked, observing her girlfriend's facial expressions. 

"No...but we're right here, so let's get this over with" Luz said, taking a breath to try and calm herself.

Luz and Amity were going on a vacation in the human realm, a place Luz hadn't been to in years. But you had to rip the bandaid off, and take it most times, she guessed. They traversed through the gateway, hands held, and entered the world of humans. 

They stood on the porch of the old house, and Luz made a sort-of breathless laugh

“What?” Amity asked, a smile across her face

“It’s just...the last time I was here, I was chasing Owlbert after he swiped my copy of Azura book 5” she said “and then I met Eda at her stand”

They took a step forward, Luz to see how her old world had changed, and Amity to experience a new one. 

Today was sunny, and they could hear birds chirping, Luz had checked her weather app prior so they knew what to expect. Not too hot, yet not too cold with a gentle breeze. 

Luz took the same route she had taken all those years prior, but back to her home on earth where Camilia was awaiting their arrival. Despite her mother's acceptance of Luz's…situation, it still felt weird to be back on earth after everything in the Boiling Isles. 

Luz knocked on the front door three times before her mother opened the door, pulling them into a hug.

" _mi hija_ you've grown so strong! And Ms. Blight, you've grown into such a beautiful lady!"

"You may call me Amity, ma'am" Amity replied with a short, polite bow

"In that case, you can call me Camilia" she replied, and invited the couple inside. 

Across the street, a figure watched the house, wearing a white suit, and a domino mask with an owl motif. She smirked and slinked away into the shadows

Amity and Luz were going to spend five days on earth to unwind and have fun. Luz had several ideas of places to go with and show to Amity, one of them being a human school. Then she'd show her a cafe and let her try food from earth.

* * *

  
  


Luz had left many things from the human realm behind without a thought ever since Camilia had let her transfer to Hexside. Most of this was her former classmates, and even unrequited love.

"You're _still_ thinking about her?" Brittney asked, cocking an eyebrow "come on, it's been _three years_ , Sasha!" 

Three girls, Brittney, Sasha, and Courtney, sat outside a Caribou coffee shop. They had the day off work, being a weekend. Back in high school, they were all cheerleaders, and Luz Noceda was on their team for a brief period, but long enough for everyone to know who she was. 

Sasha, sighed and stirred her iced coffee dejectedly "she left without saying anything, of course I'm still thinking about her...I never got to tell her how I felt"

Sasha had developed feelings for the oddball Latina over the summer. When she had returned to school for her sophomore year, she was the last to find out Luz had been transferred to some boarding school called Hexside. The minute she had learned the truth, she'd run into the girl's locker room and cried. Heartbroken that she'd missed her chance.

Courtney took a sip of her macchiato and did a double-take "wait...is that...Luz, across the street?", she squinted her eyes and tried to get a better look.

Sasha's head turned so quickly that her neck cracked and then her eyes widened. Across the street were a pair of girls talking. One had shiny brown hair, and the other, slightly taller girl made Sasha's heart do a little dance...it was Luz.

Luz was chatting in a very animated manner with the other girl, based on their body language, they were very close and casual around each other. 

Courtney waved to see if she could get their attention, and was surprised when Luz returned the wave...and then walked over with the other girl.

Sasha was panicking internally, Luz had matured a lot. No longer was she the wiry nerd who sucked at sports, she had developed noticeable muscle definition, and she was a lot taller up close...she could probably take on the star quarterback easily now.

But there was a sinking feeling in Sasha's heart that Luz had forgotten about them in the time they had been apart, but to her surprise, Luz remembered all their names...maybe things were looking up.

"Who is this?" Courtney asked, gesturing to Amity "she's cute"

"Haha, sorry...this is Amity Blight, my girlfriend "

  
  


Sasha felt something twist inside her and her mouth dried out...Luz had left her behind and didn't even know.

Maybe Luz had picked up on it, because she suddenly changed the subject and asked if they were free to do anything and perhaps catch up.

  
  


As the girls talked, Sasha’s mind kept drifting back to three specific details.

The first was that they seemed to suspiciously avoid talking about anything that happened during the three previous years. Courtney and Brittney didn’t pick up on it probably because they were excited to catch up, and Luz had become so cool

The second was that both Luz and Amity’s beanies seemed to be hiding ears that looked too long. It was rude to stare, but it was a strange thing that kept catching her eye.

The third thing was something she kept dismissing, but she could've sworn that someone had been stalking them ever since they started talking.

  
  


Amity stood at the counter and felt overwhelmed, sure there were cafes on the Boiling Isles and she’d normally have no problem with choosing something from a menu, but again, that was on the Isles, this was a different world and she wasn’t entirely sure what seemed familiar to her.

“Miss, would you like to order something?” asked the barista 

“I got this _querida_ , don’t worry” Luz said, coming up behind her “one Mint Condition mocha for Amity Blight and one Nitro Pumpkin white mocha for Luz Noceda, please” she said, unlocking her phone and tapping it on the countertop verifone to pay

A couple minutes later, Luz joined Amity, bringing their drinks. Amity took a sip of her mocha and hummed happily. 

Sasha saw how Luz fondly looked at Amity like she was her whole world, and how Amity looked at Luz the same. Sasha could tell they truly loved each other, and it made her cry, so she got up and left the coffee shop.

Brittney looked Luz in the eyes and asked “could you go talk to her, please?” there was a pleading in the girl’s eyes, and so Luz got up without a second thought, but made sure to peck a kiss on Amity’s cheek first.

“What’s happening?” asked Amity, confused

“Before Luz left, Sasha got hung up on some new feelings she had to figure out...her luck that they turned out to be a crush on Luz” Courtney sighed and leaned back in her chair “poor girl is still hurting about it after three years..”

Amity grimaced and thought about her current relationship with Luz, about how she had nearly been met with the same fate: to fall in love with someone only for them to be yanked out of your life for the foreseeable future.

Luz found Sasha hugging her legs with her back against a wall, she could hear crying.

“Hey...is there a space available?” Luz asked

Sasha’s head shot up, her tears had ruined her mascara, creating black runny lines down her cheeks. She gave Luz a weak nod and Luz sat across from her.

“Are you alright?” Luz asked, upon receiving a “no” gesture, she asked a different question “do you want to talk about it?”

“Why did you leave?” Sasha asked rather directly

“I didn’t fit in here, remember? I was ostracised, bullied, mocked, because I was different...I was ‘weird’ and then I found this place where nobody thought I was weird, where my quirks were a part of me that made me, well... _me_ …” Luz tucked in her legs

“Hexside...the _boarding school_ ” said Sasha, finishing Luz’s thought. She observed Luz’s reaction, she was thinking of a way to explain it

“Yeah, that’s where I met Amity” Luz said

“That summer you were at camp...I..I had a lot to think about...mostly it was you” Sasha said “I wanted to tell you something, and when the school year started up, I was the only one who didn’t know you’d transferred schools..”

“What did you want to tell me?” the brunette asked

“I had a crush on you, Luz...I wanted to tell you and _maybe_ go on a date or something, but you were _gone_ Luz, I felt devastated and heartbroken, but I couldn’t fight it off. Then I see you just reappear again after three years and I thought maybe I’d get to tell you how I feel, but then you introduced your girlfriend to us and I-” she stopped and started to cry again. 

Warm and sturdy arms enveloped her frame and then she let herself freely sob into Luz’s shoulder while a reassuring hand rubbed her upper back

“ _está bien, déjalo salir_ ” Luz spoke in a soothing voice while she let Sasha cry her heart out “I can’t return your heart, but I can be your friend, _amiga_ ”

Luz stayed with the girl until she felt better, and they returned to the coffee shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose Caribou because I'm from Minnesota and it's one of my favorite coffee places. I pulled their menu to find the drink selections for reference
> 
> full names for the three new characters are  
> -Sasha Freeman  
> -Courtney Taylor  
> -Brittney Spheres
> 
> edit: you may have noticed Lilith's name has been added to the tags and you might be confused if you read Agony of an Apprentice, but I assure you, I can explain why


	3. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and Amity thought their week would be fun, but the mysterious figure following them has other ideas, and Sasha learns a secret

Ever since the moment Sasha had made peace with the fact that Luz could never love her back romantically, they had become good friends...in fact, she found that Luz was extremely easy to become friends with. Years ago, people made fun of Luz, but Sasha could see that the mocking was made by kids who hadn’t bothered to look further than the surface. They exchanged phone numbers to talk more often.

She felt the presence of the mysterious figure more and more every day. There was a passive feeling in the air when Luz and Amity were gone, but it felt oppressive when the two were hanging out with them.

Sasha actually saw the figure in question wearing stark white clothing and a domino mask fashioned after an owl, before they disappeared into a crimson mist. She convinced herself it was just her seeing things.

* * *

  
  
  


The couple had expected another day to unwind, but fate had other, painful plans when the suit-clad figure finally made their presence known to the group.

“Uh, hi..can we um...help you?” Luz asked

The figure’s outfit changed, no longer were they wearing a pressed white suit, but an outfit like those of the Emperor’s Coven. A golden pauldron was mounted on their left shoulder, and a golden owl mask obscured their face. Luz had seen this person before, the day she had snooped around Belos’s Castle, there was someone standing to the side of the throne. 

Luz’s eyes widened when she came to the realization “oh shi-”

Their assailant surged forward fast enough that a sonic boom resounded, and it knocked everyone back.

Luz was grabbed from behind, and knocked out by a sleep spell. The assailant created an obsidian portal and drug Luz through it.

Amity reached out but was just a fraction of a second too late, the portal closed and before the auburn-haired witch was naught but air. She sobbed and dug her fingers into the ground where the portal had once been.

* * *

  
  


Luz awoke in a room filled with a crushing silence. It was dark, but her vision soon adjusted as she swiveled her head around, the room was lined with smooth metallic plating, and the room lacked any features at all, save for a heavy door and the chair she was restrained to. She felt the presence of magic, which told Luz that she was back on the Boiling Isles.

The door opened, and Luz swiveled her head around 180 degrees. The light from behind the door nearly blinded her, than discomfort turned to fear as she saw the last person she wanted to see enter the room

Emperor Belos

Luz began to panic

“You prove to be an elusive witch, _human_ ” he said “and supposedly difficult to catch” he gestured towards the restraints, bands of glowing red magical energy “notably I’m rather disappointed that you and your friends haven’t joined any Covens”. 

The more Luz struggled against her restraints, the harder she found it to put up a fight.

“Intriguing, yes? It’s a simple spell I took from another dimension, the more you struggle against it, the stronger it grows” Belos started to slowly circle her like a vulture looking to tear into her flesh. “I’ve been looking for you for quite some time”

“Y-you have?” Luz asked, nervously

“Yes, I have need of someone of your capability...and I also require the portal to the human realm” he said, narrowing the eyeholes of his mask

“Wh-what? But my home…” Luz looked more scared now

“Fear not, I will not be conquering the human realm, that is far from what I want...tell me where it is or…”

Luz scoffed “what? You’ll imprison me? I’m _not_ telling you! My friends will figure out it was you who had me captured and then they’ll come find me!”

Belos’ staff extended and unfolded from his hand and he chuckled “I know” he touched the base of her skull with the glowing orb of his staff and muttered incantations while Luz screamed in pain

* * *

  
  


“Amity, what was that?! What aren’t you telling us?!” Courtney asked while freaking out over what had happened to Luz

“Did Luz get kidnapped right in front of us!?” Brittney asked

“Amity...please tell us” pleaded Sasha

“You...you wouldn’t believe me if I told you…” Amity said, her voice subdued

“FUCK. THAT!” Sasha said through her teeth “we just saw something pull Luz through a magic portal, and you think we won’t believe an explanation!?”

Amity took a breath and exhaled “it was Dark Magic, actually...where I’m from, it’s a less than common form of magic”

“...w-what?” Sasha asked, confused

“The reason we’ve been avoiding telling you what happened over the last three years...is because Luz was with me in another world. I’m a Witch from a place called the Boiling Isles” Amity took off her beanie and revealed her pointed ears. She drew a spell circle and summoned a small orb of light. The girls looked at it in awe

“We can travel between here and Earth through a doorway anchored to an old house behind Luz’s house” Amity continued

Amity explained the real reasons behind Luz’s transfer, about the curse, about how Camilia had seen Luz thrive on the Isles. She theorized that Emperor Belos was behind Luz’s abduction.

  
  


Sasha’s face hardened and she stood up, offering Amity her hand “then let’s get her back”

* * *

Amity waited by the old house with Camila, she had given her the gist of what had happened and they sat together to keep each other company until the other girls arrived.

A big ford transit van bearing no signage pulled up to the house, and Sasha stepped out of the driver’s seat. She opened the back of the van and she and Courtney hauled out two dollies laiden with steel cases, Brittney was absent. Camila and Amity changed confused looks before Sasha and Courtney arrived at the porch. 

“So...what should we expect when we get inside?” asked Courtney

“Expect to find everything strange” said Amity, Camila nodded in agreement

Sasha took a breath and rubbed her hands together “alright...let's do this then”

They entered the door.

Eda was sleeping in the living room of the Owl House, with nothing much to do, and no desire to go to her bed, she’d crashed on the couch. 

The portal door made a whooshing sound as it opened and woke the older woman from her slumber. The first thing she saw was a pair of humans hauling in boxes before Amity and Camila entered.

“What is going on?” Eda asked, slowly getting up into an upright position

“Luz...got abducted” Amity said, causing Eda to shoot up onto her feet

Courtney and Sasha started unloading the boxes from the dollies

“Who are these two?” asked Eda

“Classmates from the human school Luz went to before she first arrived” answered Camila “they say they can help”

“And help, we definitely can,” Sasha said with a smirk, and opened a case. 

The lid obscured its contents from where Eda was standing, but whatever it was it made Camila gasp.

* * *

Televised broadcasts said that the Chosen One had been found and that the Emperor would reveal them at midnight. Amity had a sinking feeling who it was, but needed to focus on gathering enough people to pose a viable threat to Belos.

Willow and Gus were obvious choices, given Gus could disrupt Belos’s forces with his illusion magics, and Willow was as strong as a hurricane when she wanted to be.

The cases Sasha and Courtney had brought contained weapons from earth, Amity wasn’t sure if she wanted to know how the two had gotten them.

Sasha and Courtney assembled the weapons while Amity took care of recruitment

  
  


Midnight arrived, Amity had a few of the stronger kids from Hexside and some even, from Glandus High, gathered at the Owl House. Viney, Jerbo, Barkus, and Edric and Emira were present as well. This was probably the most people that had ever been in the Owl House before.

The broadcast soon started and they saw a view of the Petrification Stage in the Conformitorium, Belos stood atop it, marking the first time any of them had seen him outside his Castle.

“Children of the Isles, I, your humble leader have wonderful news for you all! By the Titan’s will, the Chosen One I have spoken of has revealed herself, she will work with me to prepare for the Day of Unity, until her duties are required for the ceremony. Please welcome the Titan’s Chosen, Luz Noceda” he said, and moved to the side.

A figure clad in a cloak of pure white stepped forth, and removed their hood. It was definitely Luz, but her hair had been slicked back and her eyes were now icy blue glowing orbs. She held her arms out

“My brothers and sisters of the Isles, I cannot wait for you all to join me in Lord Belos’s light”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the spell Belos used to restrain Luz is one I came up with called the "Spell of Absolute Containment" for a future chapter of my "Of Another Realm" fic, it's a simple imprisonment spell that isolates the victim in a field that grows stronger x2 for every amount of effort the victim puts into escape. It can only broken by the caster or a sudden burst of enormous magical power
> 
> Luz is now under a mind control spell, and is pretty much like Chipped-Catra from SPOP s5. her outfit in here is like an Emperor's Coven version of Catra's outfit when she was chipped on Horde Prime's ship


	4. The Agony of Waiting

Amity could hardly believe her eyes, Luz was clad in the regalia of the coven that had treated Eda oh so terribly, and now apparently her girlfriend was the Titans’ Chosen now. She figured cliche would dictate she be very sad now, but no...she was fuming...she was righteously angry at the Emperor. Her family was one thing, but she would not let anyone hurt Luz and get away with it.

Eda could see this and smiled, Luz was really lucky to be dating a girl like Amity.

  
  


The premises of the Owl House became occupied by tents of various sizes as more and more Boiling Isles residents joined the revolution over the course of a week. Even some Coven guards had joined after having second-thoughts about their job and after seeing what had happened to Luz. Whatever Belos had done to the human, it upset them enough to rebel.

Their goals were to rescue Luz, stop the Day of Unity from happening and overthrow the Emperor. Eda had found old spell scrolls involving magic negation, and some to enhance weapons.

The weapons Sasha and Coutney had brought were an object of fascination and fear to the Witches and demons. About fifty of these “guns” from the van were in the cases, and several thousand rounds of ammunition were in other cases.

The rebels trained as much as they could to prepare, because they had no idea what lay in store in the Emperor’s Castle. Willow’s fathers had joined as well, and it turned out they were skilled Blacksmiths.

* * *

  
  


Luz strolled among the members of the Emperor’s Coven through the castle corridors as she made her way to the throne room. Belos was slumped in his throne

“You wished to speak with me, My Lord?” Luz asked, kneeling and bowing before him

“Rise, Luz” he commanded

Luz did as ordered as Belos consumed the magic of a Palisman, helping him perk up

“I have heard tell of a resistance being assembled to put a stop to our activities” he stood up and made his way towards her

“I shall bring a platoon of your finest Witches and put an end to them, by the will of the Titan I shall make their ends swift!” Luz spoke sharply

“Now, now...there is no need for that...they are undisciplined, untrained, and barely pose a threat to us...leave them be for now. Besides, there are still preparations to be made, the Day of Unity occurs in exactly six days. I only brought this to your attention so you know what we may expect in the near-future”

“Y-yes, Lord Belos, I apologize. You are indeed truly wise” Luz replied

“Now, with that settled, I wish for you to speak with Kikimora, she has texts and scripts for you to read. Be sure to memorize them to the letter, they are essential for the Ceremony of Unity” he returned to his throne

“As you wish, My Lord, may the Isles be bathed in your Light” Luz bowed and exited the room

In the imperial library, Luz read over a dozen texts, a lengthy script, and had to practice several rituals to prepare for her big day. She smiled and looked up to a painting of Belos and the early witches of the Boiling Isles, of his gifting the Coven System to them. She would be in his position one day, a Guiding Light to all the inhabitants of the Isles, ruling through grace and an iron fist if needed.

Kikimora scolded her for taking a break, though it was more like a light reprimand. The two had grown close quickly during Luz’s time in the castle. Kiki found Luz to be rather fascinating, and even under mind control, Luz’s love for cute things shone through.

* * *

Willow found Amity curled up in Luz’s nest one morning, light sniffles coming from the auburn-haired witch. She sat down by her and stroked her arm “are you doing alright?”

“They took her, Willow...they _violated her_ with some mind control and I can’t do _anything_ but wait” she said, her eyes welling up with tears

“Do you want me to stay here with you?” Willow asked, and she stayed when she saw Amity nod

Amity didn’t want to imagine what they were doing to Luz at the castle, having a friend like Willow to ground her to what was happening _here_ at the Owl House was a welcome comfort.

Amity swore under her breath that she would make Belos and his attack dog pay for what they did to Luz as soon as the time came.

* * *

More training today, it had become tedious and boring at times, but they knew they needed to be at their best to storm the castle on the Day of Unity.

Gus, Edric, and Emira had become even more powerful in their illusion magic during training, and Eda was still working on removing the magic limiters on the rebel witches. More Covenless witches had joined their cause, things were looking up for them, but they still had to face Belos and his Coven eventually, a daunting task indeed.

Luz would be a wild card, everyone knew she was strong and held back a lot of her strength. But they would be facing a Luz unbothered by morality and attachment, the very idea of those notions was troubling.

Amity grew increasingly worried as the days crept by, she was losing sleep as well. She longed to feel Luz’s hand in hers

She yearned for her strong arms 

She missed the gentle ‘goodnight’s before they went to bed

She ached for the warmth of her beloved 

Then she cried until she fell asleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor Ami :(
> 
> I wanted to show my idea of the cultish aspect of the Emperor's Coven through a mind-controlled Luz


	5. An Attempt at Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity decides to try and rescue Luz from the Emperor's Castle

The Day of Unity would happen tomorrow, Luz had practiced and memorized everything Kikimora had shoved at her about the momentous occasion.

Luz’s ceremonial attire was a more embellished version of the clothing the Emperor had first given her. It was lined with silver and gold, the fabric of her cloak had a coating that made it shine like stars when under a light. Special modifications had been tailor-made to accommodate for her ability to transform into the Owl Beast. With all this flair, Luz certainly felt like a princess, but she knew that she was ultimately the Titan’s Chosen, it was her destiny and her purpose, and soon it would be set in stone.

* * *

  
  
  


Amity couldn’t wait any longer, she _had_ to get Luz back. With some persuasion, she managed to convince a small group to do a small scale rescue operation. Willow came along to keep Amity from being too reckless.

Five people in total went on the rescue mission...Willow, Emira, Gus, Steve, and Amity. Steve was once part of the Emperor’s Coven, but defected shortly after he actually witnessed what Belos had done to Luz in the dungeons, Amity reasoned that with someone like him on their side, they would be able to navigate the castle easily. Amity grabbed a bag and loaded it with C4, Semtex, and a few items she knew Luz had a deep emotional connection to. They set off in the night when most of the resistance had fallen asleep.

With Steve’s help, they found a secret escape tunnel that led straight into the castle’s network of hidden passageways, allowing discrete access all around the castle. This also let them overhear conversations around the castle depending on where they traveled in the tunnels.

“Stupendous work, Ms. Noceda!” came a voice, Willow and Gus recognised it as Kikimora’s voice, so they sneaked down a passage that led them closer to the voice.

“...a humble servant of the Titan. I thank you all for coming together for this most joyous of occasions!” Luz’s voice echoed down the passage. 

Amity wondered what the context for this was until she saw Luz, still dressed in her Coven regalia and reading what looked like a script. “ _This must be for the ceremony_ ” Amity thought, watching Luz pace slowly with the script in one hand while the other made wide gestures. The view they had of the room suggested they were above some kind of classroom-like space.

“No, no, you are not enunciating correctly, put more emphasis on ‘humble’ and ‘joyous’” an older woman was in the room with Luz and Kikimora. 

Amity knew the sound of that voice anywhere, it creeped up on her like a consuming, suffocating darkness that threatened to swallow her whole, never let her go, and when it had her, it would tear her apart and strip her of all she held precious.

This was the voice of her mother, Odalia Blight, she was wearing the same attire of the Owl-masked assailant.

Luz cleared her throat and started again “ _Brothers and Sisters_ of the Isles, I come before you as a _humble_ servant of the Titan. I thank you all for coming together for this most _joyous_ of occasions!”

Odalia nodded approvingly “that will do for today, you may be dismissed”

“May the Light of Belos bathe the Isles” Luz put her hands together to form an upward triangle

Odalia did the same and repeated the mantra back “may the Light of Belos bathe the Isles” with a small smile. She left the room and in came her husband, Alador, to escort Luz to see the Emperor, Kiki followed.

Both of Amity’s parents were in on this, and it made Amity both furious and distraught. Emira was horrified and she pulled Amity in close for a sibling hug

“We’ll get her back, Mittens...we’ll get her back” Emira whispered to Amity reassuringly and kissed the top of her little sister's head.

* * *

  
  


They found it incredibly tedious to wait until Luz was alone, she’d been escorted around by guards all the time. From the passages, they saw that Luz always wore a blissful expression, like she was overloaded on serotonin-boosting drugs.

Luz finally was taken to what seemed to be her assigned quarters. It was relatively plain and sparsely decorated. Luz removed her cloak and slipped into bed, the same blissful smile stretched across her face as she rolled to her side, they could see a glowing red growth on the back of her neck.

Amity quietly removed a vent cover and slipped into the room. She could hear Luz’s familiar snore that she’d grown to love. Seeing her girlfriend sleeping so peacefully brought a smile back to the brunette’s face. “I’m gonna save you, Luz” Amity whispered and readied a sleep spell

“ _I wouldn’t do that,_ ” said Belos’ voice in Amity’s head, and the others. A pit opened below Amity and fleshy tendrils shot out pulling the entire rescue team into its depths.

They descended what seemed to be forever, until they emerged in an antechamber below the castle. It was lit by torches, and made of the same stone as the rest of the castle. They were currently in what looked like an arena. On a ledge overlooking them, they saw Belos, and standing at his sides were Odalia and Alador, both adorned with the cloaks of the Emperor’s Coven. 

“Amity, dear...what do you think you’re doing?” Odalia asked, raising an eyebrow “breaking into the castle? I had expected better of you” a glint flashed in her eye and she prepared to jump, until Belos laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Do not bother fighting with the worms, Odalia...they’re contained for now. The ceremony is in a few hours, and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon” Belos said, is his calm voice

“The Emperor speaks the truth, they wouldn’t have risked getting this far if they weren't here for something...or someone perhaps…” he looked at the group and smirked knowingly.

  
  


Behind the trio, a pair of elite Coven guards approached before parting and revealing Luz. She was dressed in her Ceremonial Coven robes. Seeing her on a broadcast was one thing, but seeing her in person was entirely different and unsettling. 

  
  


“Hello, Amity” Luz said, in an eerily calm voice while wearing a blissful smile.

“L-Luz?” Amity asked with caution “it’s...it’s alright now...we’re here to bring you back home”

“Home? But I’m already home” she gestured widely and spun around, “and now you are here, we can celebrate the Day of Unity together!”

“Luz! Belos is controlling your mind! Whatever he had planned isn’t good for any of us!” Willow protested

“No, Lord Belos opened my mind! He showed me my true purpose, he made me whole” she gracefully laid her hands over her heart “and now we can all be together in his Light”

“Luz, you’re scaring us” Emira said nervously

"We're not leaving without you, u-us weirdos have to stick together, remember?" Amity said a sad smile coming to her face and tears starting to form in her eyes

They saw Luz's blue eyes flicker back to the familiar brown after hearing the quote. In the second they were visible, Luz’s normal eyes looked so full of fear, she clutched her head, hissing in pain. Belos laid his hand on Luz’s shoulder and she relaxed, her eyes glowing blue again, she looked up at Belos with great fondness.

Amity’s heart broke a little more

* * *

  
  


Back at the Owl House, Eda and Camila were frantically trying to figure out what to do after Willow, Gus, Amity, and Emira had disappeared. After Camila had seen the footage of her daughter, she knew the others had gone to save her.

“Those stupid, brave idiots” Eda said through gritted teeth “we haven’t even gotten ready yet and they went running off headfirst into the shit!”

“Maybe they had the right idea” Camila suggested

Eda laughed “seriously? Belos is the strongest witch alive, for all we know he could just cut off our magic”

“Ah, but you forget” said Courtney “not all of us use magic anyway...we’ll be the trump card against that crusty ass bitch”

Eda snorted “well, when you put it that way…” she scratched her chin and then smirked “girls, rally up our little army...it’s time we deal that bastard some justice”


	6. The Day of Unity

Restrained by shackles, the unsuccessful rescue team was made to watch while the final preparations were being made. Belos had made a threat great enough that forced them to give up the portal, Odalia had been able to steal it for the ceremony after Amity revealed its location. Hooked up the ringed structure, Luz hovered a hand over the controls and smiled.

“Luz...please, whatever he’s planning isn’t going to end well for any of us” Amity pleaded “I know you’re in there, please, fight it!”

Luz ignored her and finished what she was doing “My Lord, preparations have been completed”

“Excellent...soon this will all be over” Belos replied, a sigh escaping him like years of tension releasing from his body, and his posture became visibly relaxed, a strange sight to everyone.

While Luz beamed at the Emperor, Amity and the group were very worried

* * *

The resistance army was making good ground on their way to the castle. Armed with any weapons and magic they could gather, they were ready to storm the castle. Eda and Camila moved ahead of their little army atop Owlbert. 

"Are…are you alright?" Eda probed, seeing the tense body language Camila sported

"Me? Are _you_?" She asked back and sighed heavily 

"That kid means the world to me...I told you already, but she makes my life feel like it's worth it, you know?" Eda said, a small smile on her face

"Luz is the best thing that ever happened to me" said Camila "I made some mistakes when raising her, but I did everything I could for her out of love " she steeled her face, and opened the double barrel shotgun in her hands, ready to load it with Dragon's Breath shells "so when I find the _maldito bastardo_ who did this to my daughter? I'll make sure he wishes he crawled back into whatever pit he slithered out of ". She took out a Power Glyph from the Construction Coven, from a vest pocket, and applied it to the back of her neck, feeling a surge of strength flow throughout her.

Eda hid a chuckle, there was no fury that could match that of a mother fighting to save her child, Eda knew this personally.

* * *

  
  


Bonesborough Square was crowded with citizens that still held loyalty to Belos, and they anxiously awaited the ceremony to commence. Members of Belos’s Coven used Illusion magic to make gigantic screens to allow everyone a view inside the antechamber underneath the castle. When the ceremony was about to begin, Luz gave the speech she had practiced under Odalia’s tutelage. 

“ _Brothers and Sisters_ of the Isles, I come before you as a _humble_ servant of the Titan. I thank you all for coming together for this most _joyous_ of occasions!” 

Applause erupted from the crowd, 

“The Day of Unity is upon us, and we stand together, united in our comradery. But first, I must share grave news...a small group of interlopers attempted to intrude upon my chambers in the night, and whisk me away” she gestured towards the rescue team

The crowd booed and jeered, demanding “justice” be done to them

“These traitors...Willow Park...Agustus Porter...Emira Blight...Steve Ebonite...and Amity Blight…” she spoke Amity’s name with a low growl in her voice ”shall pay for their transgressions in time...but for now I shall begin the Ceremony of Unity!”

The crowd cheered again as Luz bowed before Belos, and he “anointed” her by pouring the magical fluid from a Palisman...Lilith’s Palisman...into her glowing blue eyes. 

“With this anointment, I give unto you the blessing to commence this ritual, oh Chosen of the Titan” said Belos. He held out his hand and helped Luz to her feet.

Luz’s eyes glowed brighter now, the Psionic Parasite on her neck pulsed like a beating heart, by this point it's tendrils had snaked under her skin and made purple markings on her face and neck. As she approached the portal device, the resistance forces arrived at the perimeter of the grounds.

“Luz! Please, don’t do this!” Willow begged

“Simul noster veniet mundos cordibus nostris ... in unum ... ut unum sumus stare simul in una die” Luz spoke and then activated the portal. 

It sent a shockwave outwards when the gateway opened and then the screens outside turned black.

* * *

The audience muttered among themselves and wondered why the feed had been cut, some even outright demanding that they stop messing around and restore the feed. The Emperor’s Coven witches did what they could to try and quell the unrest. A rumbling sound then came from the castle and a beam of red light erupted from the peak of the tallest tower, traveling up hundreds of meters into the sky. After it stopped rising, a field of red energy began steadily expanding across the sky above the Boiling Isles.

“No” said Eda “we have to hurry!”. She led the charge to storm the castle.

Camila loaded her shotgun and followed.

  
  


* * *

Underground, everyone had been knocked to the ground by the shockwave from the portal activation. Willow tore off the shackles securing her, and the ones securing the others. A cloud of dust had been kicked up from the portal activation, making it hard to see.

Odalia yelled out in pain as a sizzling sound came from her arm. Embedded in it was a throwing knife. Alador pulled it out, and the skin around the wound boiled lightly. 

Willow and the others got up and started to run, when a shiny blade whizzed past her ear, slicing off a few strands of her hair, and then sticking into the floor. 

Luz held a pair of the same knives in her hands, she threw them, one missed Willow's throat by mere millimeters, and the other cut Amity's shoulder. Like with Odalia, Amity's wound burned and bubbled as she hissed from the pain.

Taking cover, with Amity, Willow took the opportunity to try and cover Amity's wound. She also took a look at the knife, it was made of silver and had an even shinier coating on the edge...mercury. 

"IT BURNS!!!" Odalia shouted, holding her arm, the stab wound was inflamed and boiling.

Connecting this to the way Amity's body had reacted meant only one thing...the ex-Blight was half-vampire. 

Willow didn't have time to really ask Amity anything, because they had to run from a blue fireball that exploded just past them. Looking towards the source, she saw Luz do something she hadn't expected.

Luz had summoned a strange staff from her hand, like Belos’, and launched another blue fireball at them. It exploded and pushed the rescue team off the ledge and into the area. 

Willow broke their fall by creating a giant flower, and Luz soon followed, manifesting her wings and gliding down to the arena. 

Willow used her phytokinesis to create a plant monster "I'm sorry Luz, but if our words can't get through to you, we're gonna have to use force!" Her massive golem of plant matter lunged towards Luz.

The formerly-human girl made a stance and stopped the behemoth with her bare hands, a smirk on her face as she pushed back the creature with relative ease.

The beast landed a surprise attack by shooting a vine up through the ground, and knocked Luz back several yards to the outer wall.

By now the parasite's tendrils had snaked up further under her skin and glowed a bright purple. She slammed the base of the staff on the ground and sent a wave of stone at them. The staff seemed to be draining energy from Luz, as she winced every time she used it to cast.

While they fought in the arena, the circular ringed frame around the portal began to warp into an oval shape with sharp bits of metal jutting out dangerously at the sides. 

An unearthly roar sounded from something on the other side.

Camila and the others were inside the castle by now. She loaded two more shells into her shotgun and blasted at another witch, that turned out to be just animated clothing. 

They heard a klaxon alarm blare throughout the halls 

" _Warning: Demonic presence at unsafe levels. Facility-wide lockdown in effect_ " said a voice over the PA, and all doors were blocked off by heavy steel blast-doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: Now featuring art I drew


	7. The End of the War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final leg of the war comes, will Luz break from the control of her captor, or be doomed to be enslaved to his will for the rest of her life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after Dana's tweet about the real spelling of Camila's name, I'm gonna have to make a bunch of edits

_63 years ago…_

A lone man was standing atop a hill

The man nearly finalized the ritual, after a year trapped in the Demon Realm, he was finally going home.

"Please...let this work…" he pleaded and activated the circle, his 80th attempt. He was starting to forget the runes after all this time.

For a moment, it seemed the spell would work, but the unstable blue portal turned quickly to an angry red. Through it, he could see a realm of fire, ruin, and pain. A patchwork dimension of other worlds forcibly absorbed into itself. Through this portal, he heard a voice unlike any he had heard before. 

The voice spoke to the man, demanding to know what he intended by attempting to enter this realm. He answered, telling the voice he wished to cross worlds, but that he did not have the power to open a safe passage. He swore he would take that power no matter the cost. The voice was amused and intrigued by his resolve, so it bestowed upon the man four gifts.

The first was a red demon, able to possess anyone by attaching itself to their neck. The second was an orb of red energy that the voice called "Hell energy", it would be his conduit to control the demon, and a source of extreme power. The third was "a taste", the man was imbued with Hell energy through the portal, it transformed his body into something strong, but it brought an extreme hunger. The fourth and final gift was vast knowledge and technology.

The voice told him to construct a new portal if he desired more of the energy, before the portal snapped closed with no immediate way to reopen it. 

The man was reborn, his old self was long gone, as was his old goal, and so he reinvented himself.

He would now be called Belos.

And he set out to fulfill his quest, far off the mainland

* * *

  
  


_Now_ …

While Amity and the others fought Luz, Gus tried helping her figure out a way to save her while also trying to dodge Luz's attacks. Luz shot a high-velocity fireball at them, which exploded when it hit a wall behind the group. 

Amity noticed Belos moving his staff certain ways as Luz moved about, like he was a puppeteer manipulating a marionette. Whenever the red orb on Belos' staff shone, the demon parasite on Luz's neck glowed as well.

Amity looked at Gus and Willow and then at Belos, and then Willow nodded in understanding. Amity started to act a little more aggressive in her counterattacks, hoping to put as much of Belos' focus on herself as she could.

Willow made it to the platform surface, and Belos glanced in her direction before ordering Odalia and Alador to “dispose of the rubbish”.

Willow simply grinned and cracked her knuckles “you know, I’ve always wanted to get back at you for what you did to me and Amity at her birthday party all those years ago”

Alador growled, baring his canines at the witch, before transforming into his lycanthrope form and charging at her. His long arms let him scrape the floor with his claws in an intimidating manner, which to anyone else may have been scary. But Willow was someone who had been in the Bat Queen’s domain, and had been up close to Luz’s feral Owl Beast form...a werewolf didn't scare her. So when Alador swiped at her with his sharp claws, she ducked out of the way, and connected her fist to the man’s torso with the strongest punch she had ever thrown in her life, and several loud sickening snaps echoed through the room as Alador’s rib cage broke from Willow’s strike. She then slammed his head into the floor, knocking out cold.

Odalia furiously went after Willow, but she was too blinded in anger to really focus on attacking, and was attacked by Willow’s plant magic, a bioluminescent flower that shone as bright as a flashbang. With the Blight family head disoriented, Willow attacked Odalia and broke the older woman’s femur and shoulder, which quickly healed. 

“You’ve made a terrible mistake” Odalia uttered and swung her razor sharp nails at Willow’s throat before a pink fireball collided with the older woman. Standing at the edge of the platform was Amity looking furious, her vampiric fangs showing as she gritted her teeth.

“Stay away from my friend, you BITCH!!!” she cast another fireball spell, but this time, like the one Luz had used earlier, and the blast threw Odalia at a wall, knocking her unconscious.

They tied up the parents and then turned to Belos, who was watching "Amity" fighting Luz. Another one of Gus's excellent illusions.

* * *

  
  


In another part of the castle, Camila blasted through another Hell Knight with her shotgun, the demon collapsed to the floor, a large chunk of its torso missing along with its head thanks to the weapon enhancement glyph. An Imp tried to roast her with a flame wreathed fist, but was met by Camila slamming her fist through its skull thanks to the strength the Power Glyph gave her. Under any normal circumstance, she would not be doing this, but Luz was in trouble, and Camila was fighting quite literally against Hell itself to get to her. 

Eda was starting to tire from the battle, and Camila rushed to her side. Sweat was pouring from the older witch’s face.

“Eda? Are you alright?” Camila asked, concern on her face

“Heh, th-this is nothing!” Eda protested, but the weariness in her voice betrayed her “g-guess I’m just running outta juice…” 

Eda’s magic had returned to her eventually after being curse-free for three years, but it wasn’t as potent as it had been before, it wasn’t too worrying before since she hadn’t been fighting. Now, in a battle against death, it inconveniently began to fail her “I jus...just need to rest…” she said between breaths, trying to force her bile sack to work overtime to give her more magic.

As soon as she said that though, a Baron of Hell rounded the corner, and roared at them

“ _Oh, mierda_ ” uttered Camila

* * *

  
  


Luz’s strength began to wane just slightly as Amity and Willow battled Belos. With the emperor’s focus shifting to an immediate concern, his control over Luz began to weaken ever so slightly. With her glowing blue eyes, she saw Amity and Willow fighting Belos, and the parasite began moving her body forward, while Luz tried to fight back.

It was during her struggle that she looked up and saw Belos freeze Willow in some red stasis field, and nearly slice off Amity’s head with the wing blade of his staff. The parasite sent a painful shock of electricity through Luz, but she powered through it. With as much strength as she could muster, she held aloft her staff and brought it down on the ground, lifting a stone pillar into the air and launching it at Belos.

Belos noticed this, and braced himself for impact, taking on the full brunt of the pillar, which kicked up a dust cloud.

Luz collapsed to her knees, sweating and eyes flickering between glowing blue and her normal brown eyes.

Belos emerged from the dust, his eyes glowing brightly, and full of rare anger. He struck the Blight with his staff and then with its blade, he slashed at Amity, carving a gash diagonally across her torso before throwing the girl down into the arena. The blade of his staff was lined with energy from the red orb. He looked down upon Luz with disdain and spoke.

“To think that you still felt attachment despite all my efforts, I am impressed, human” he shook his head “and very disappointed”

  
  


Seeing Amity injured gave Luz the resolve to break through her chains and speak as herself for the first time in a while “you think you can just use brute strength to keep us down and keep us from retaliating out of fear, but you can’t, every tyrant gets their just desserts in the end, the only difference is time”

“You believe I can’t?” Belos asked “of course I can. Might controls everything. And without strength, how can you hope to protect anything” Belos spoke with assured confidence in his words. He slammed his staff down and cast lightning at his former protégé “let alone yourself” 

Luz barely managed to absorb some of it into the mechanical staff she wielded, but it was still an intense attack that did not relent, eventually it forced the human to the floor, while Belos stood over her like a vulture observing its prey.

“It’s honestly irritating...seeing you fight so hard...you have so much potential, wasted” he said, a snarl in his voice “I wonder though, how can you be so strong when you have lost nothing?” 

_‘Unlike myself’_ came the unsaid words

Luz strained against the lightning “it's not about loss...HRGH! _Strength_ is a choice. You fight like hell to protect what's important. You threw away everything you ever had... no wonder you have no true power, and you use fear to compensate .” 

  
  


“You dare _MOCK_ **_ME?!_ **” he shouted and made the room shake. Red tendrils of energy shot out of the ground and his orb glowed brighter than before “I’ll make sure you learn the cost of your mistake, starting with-” he turned to face where Amity had been laying only to see nobody. He heard a yell, but turned too late as Amity Blight struck him with an ice-encrusted fist, shattering his mask.

Amity took his staff from his grasp and rejoined the others

"̴̯̋G̸͈̋͗i̵̺̿V̸̟͌e̴̤̘̒̇ ̶̥̅͠ẗ̵͉́͂H̷̹̝̀A̶̛̖͓ẗ̴̛̘̘ ̵͔̓b̸͇̭̍̒a̶̝̕C̴͚̣͗̚k̶̛̝.̷̬͌.̵̯̊.̷̺̍ his voice distorted as he turned to face them. His face was entirely alien, with sunken features, slimy skin, multiple eyes, and razor sharp teeth

“It̷̨͕̃ ̷̮͎͗b̵͗͜ͅë̷̙́Ḷ̸̂̊O̸̰̮͛N̵̬̑G̴̛̼S̴̢̀ ̴̝̘̂̉T̸̬̕O̸̘̾ ̶̛̬M̷̮͚͐e̸̪͉ę̵̻̈E̶̘̔"̷̮̈́ he lunged at Amity in feral desperation to reclaim his staff from her

“A-Amity! Des-destroy it!” Luz shouted as the parasite sent further sharp sensations of pain though her body 

She needed no further explanation, raising the staff above her head and smashing the orb against the stone, shattering it.

Simultaneously, Belos writhed in pain and the parasite shrieked and shriveled up before falling off of Luz. Without the energy of the orb to sustain it, the portal then collapsed upon itself and the lockdown lifted.

* * *

  
  
  


The rebels entered the antechamber and took in the aftermath of the battle. Camila saw Luz laying down on the floor next to Belos, who had been impaled by the mechanical staff Luz had once carried. Rushing to the girl’s side, she embraced her and tried to get her to respond, but received nothing.

Eda cast a healing spell upon Luz, but the girl did not say anything. Silence fell for a moment until they heard her coughing.

“H-hey, mom” she said weakly, and smiling

Camilia pulled Luz into a tight hug while crying and laughing in relief

They stayed like that for a while, until Luz regained enough strength to stand on her own feet. 

“So, he’s really gone now?” Eda asked, looking down at the corpse of Emperor Belos, which Camila kicked for good measure

Luz nodded and Eda approached her “so, what’s the damage?” she asked looking over her apprentice

Luz twirled her index finger and a spell circle appeared “he may have made some...alterations while he had his hold on me” a blue fireball manifested in the palm of her hand to the astonishment of her friends and mother. 

“Luz, you know this means that you’ll never be a human again, right?” Amity asked, her tone a bit cautious

“I know...but I don’t think of it that way...I’ve become something _more_ , and now I get to have the experiences of both a human and a born Witch”

  
  


“You did good kid...you’re not that little nerd who stumbled into my stand chasing Owlbert for a book all those years ago” Eda said

“Yeah, I’m a bigger nerd now” Luz said back, and got an agreeing “ayup” from the older Witch

Eda cupped Luz's cheek in her hand and smiled into the hazel eyes “what a life you've lived, Luz, what a Witch you've become. You have no idea how proud I am” 

Luz pulled Eda into a sudden hug that said all the words that were needed, and soon the others joined in for their post-battle group hug.

“Aw yeah! The Best Friend Squad is back in action!!” Gus exclaimed and a healthy bout of laughter sounded through the hug.

* * *

  
  


When they emerged from the castle, it was still dark out and they could see the rest of the rebellion standing amidst the bodies of the few Hell demons that had managed to escape the castle before it had locked down. Luz held up what remained of the late-emperor’s staff and the rebels cheered loudly in triumph. They were free from that monster for good.

They gazed toward the horizon as the sun rose and marked the dawn of a new day


	8. A New Dawn, A New Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Belos' defeat, things begin to look a lot different on the Isles

After the battle, the wounded were taken to be treated, Luz especially because she collapsed immediately after the adrenaline wore out of her system and she needed to let her new bile sack regenerate her magic stores. Even the wounded allies to Belos were taken to be healed, though under watch by guards loyal to the rebellion.

In the coming days, the Ises began to slowly recover from the aftermath of the conflict, a temporary leadership in the form of a council had been established. Without Belos, things would look wholly different from now on. 

Some thought that as the one who slew Belos and could truly speak to the Titan, Luz should take up the mantle of Empress in Belos' place. Luz had refused in the end, she confessed that she was not fit to lead and she had a different calling in helping the Isles heal from the infection of Belos’ reign.

Luz used her connection to the Titan to have a shrine built, which let everyone who wanted to, to speak with the Titan whenever they wish. 

Odalia and Alador Blight were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Conformatorium for their actions towards the denizens of the Isles and for the years of abuse they had subjected their own children through. After the trial, the three Blight siblings had embraced each other and cried together, not out of any minute amount of pity they might have held for their parents, but out of happiness, relief. They were finally free of their reach for good this time. 

Their first act after this was to burn their parents' effects and distance themselves as much from the Blight name as possible...well, Edric and Emira would, Amity had done that long ago when she decided she wanted no part in the Blight name when she chose to be with Luz. She was already living with her at the Owl House anyway.  In time all the staff in Blight Manor would be fully compensated and relieved of work at the house before they left it to be abandoned to the mercy of the elements.

Camila made the full move over to the Boiling Isles at some point, living in a flat in Bonesborough, and started to learn healing magic under the Healing track professor at Hexside. At the same time, Eda took up a job at Hexside as a professor in Potions.

Camila was growing closer to Eda during her studies, and maybe it was just her mind overthinking, but she could swear she’d see a rosy tint dusting the cheeks of the witch’s face when they talked.

Without the threat of arrest from the government, Eda was able to roam the Isles with far greater freedom and even return to the Clawthorne estate. Some days she enjoyed her freedom by visiting Camila. But some other days, she paid a visit to her sister’s grave, which sat by the grave her parents were buried in. 

Eda pitied her sister, who had died because of foolishness and short-sightedness...even though Luz had been the one to tear Lilith to ribbons. Lilith had been too brainwashed by the Emperor, too blinded by her loyalty to him to think twice about her actions.

“If you were still alive, maybe you could have redeemed yourself by helping take Belos down” Eda muttered, laying a Lilly on Lilith’s headstone “but he’s gone now, Lily...like,  _ really _ gone...by the hand of the same apprentice you cursed to get back at me….so I guess you did help in some weird messed-up way”

Eda closed her eyes and hummed a song that her mother used to sing to her and Lilith when they were children, a tear fell from her eye and she began to sing as the autumn breeze blew through her hair.

* * *

Luz and Amity were eventually able to have a real date and vacation in the human world, this time without a plot to abduct Luz looming just behind their shoulder. They spent a few days up at Lake Superior, and went on a roadtrip for a week across the states, avoiding Ohio at all costs.

The old house the portal connected to eventually was restored to a favorable and sturdy condition thanks to some help from both sides of the portal. Seeing the neighborhood find out that a gateway to another world had been sitting in the forest this entire time was something that took getting used to. Eventually they came around and accepted it.

Luz would bring eager and willing kids to the Isles to learn magic the way she had initially, and soon a few kids turned to a dozen, and then two dozen as word spread. The house grew sturdier, and eventually they needed to house all the human students on the Isles somehow. With the help of the Construction Coven, they remodeled Blight Manor into a home for these humans, akin to an apartment building, and renamed it Parliament at Eda’s suggestion. It was Amity’s idea to turn the house that once fostered much negativity into a positive welcoming home for humans studying magic. 

Edric and Emira moved to earth to study acting, and were able to star in some well received indie films. They set up screening parties at Parliament to show off their talent to everyone. They were proud of their work and wanted people to know how much they enjoyed doing what they loved.

* * *

_ Six years later… _

The Coven system had been abolished by now, though the Covens still remained, headed by new leaders who also served on the official Boiling Isles Council. Witches were no longer forced to join a Coven by law, and magic was allowed to be mixed as it had been in the old days. As a result, Wild Magic had become more common without Belos trying to snuff it out.

The emperor’s castle that once represented Belos’ reign of terror, had been remodeled after the late-emperor had been overthrown, to be a true symbol of unity on the Isles. Within its walls, a permanent portal to Earth had been constructed. The old throne room now housed the shrine where anyone could converse with the Titan if they wished. 

Gus became a reporter with the largest news network on the Boiling Isles, following in his father’s footsteps and became a fast favorite among viewers.

Willow became a competitive powerlifter on Earth and opened a shop selling plants on the Isles. 

Luz Noceda was now married to Amity Blight, who now went by Amity Noceda, and together, they had become the two strongest witches on the Boiling Isles. As a wedding present, they were gifted the Clawthorne estate by Eda, who was content enough living in the Owl House as she always had. 

The two eventually had a child, Azura Noceda--who could turn into a creature like the Owl Beast but far cuter. Though raising a child that could fly was a challenge, it was worth it and Azura grew to be as loving and caring as Luz had always been.

Luz would later become an author and write her biography, self-published to avoid a situation like what King had gone through years ago. Luz looked at the cover of the first-ever copy, on it was a depiction of a familiar stained-glass window shaped like an eye. The title read “The Owl House: the story of a girl who stumbled into a world of her wildest dreams” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the end of this entry
> 
> stay tuned for more entries in this series


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